Im in the process of getting all the pre-testing done now and hopefully having surgery at end of August. I really don't have much support from family and not really telling friends yet. The few I told have had the band and the one almost doubled in size and the other girl did not lose anything and all she does is throw up. Why is that happening ? I'm having second thoughts and it stinks:( please give me support/input

What might be happening is she/he may not be monitered carefully by surgeon. Too tight of restriction has these effects. Plus the band is a tool. Is your friend following the rules? We all go through bouts of ups and downs. I have a sister with bypass...don't want her side effects she has experienced. I am in my green zone, eating properly, no vomiting, and losing weight with energy and happiness. Have your friend check with doctor if still sick like that.

Also when you decide what you want consider the lifestyle changes you will make with both surgeries. I can say that after 268 pounds down to 188, I'm feeling like a success. It has taken longer but my fat has molded back to my body and I excercise ( which I never imagined I would want to even consider). I was in a size 24...now a 12/14. Just look at the big picture. You are going to do awesome just get in the positive mindset that you will succeed!

FYI-You can cheat the band and eat around it. It's not a foolproof tool. Ask your friends why they failed and ask them to be honest. It could be many reasons such as reflux, gerd, band too tight? We have many people who post here who have lost very little but I haven't seen any who have doubled? The only way that can happen is if she never got a fill or the fill didn't produce restriction and she continued with their bad eating habits.

If you are an addictive person and feel you can't stop yourself from eating an entire cake in an evening, you should reconsider as you may not be ready for this? Don't mean to be cruel, just blunt. If you are not ready to be healthy, consider weight watchers?

tmf

You definitely need to undergo a change in your mindset. Follow up care is critical as is a personal support person or persons. For me, it is is my husband. He has been on this journey with me from day one and has supported me through all of the emotional and physical challenges of the last 13 months. He eats and exercises with me and while I have lost over 60kg and am enjoying a much healthier lifestyle, he has also lost 3kg (he really didn't need to!) and improved his cholesterol levels out of site - benefits all round.

You can't undertake this journey on your own and while I love this site, I am not sure that I could have done it without my husband's support and my surgeon.

Good luck

Heather- hi. There is a saying, "it works if you work it." The band is just a tool and you will have to do the rest. I have a colleague who had the band. She lost a lot of weight, but is now a binge drinker and she throws up everyday due to eating the wrong things or eating too quickly. Anyway, now that I've done my own research, I can see where she went wrong. I get banded next week and I'm excited. I know it's just a tool , but I'm ready to lose weight once and for all.

Heather- hi. There is a saying, "it works if you work it." The band is just a tool and you will have to do the rest. I have a colleague who had the band. She lost a lot of weight, but is now a binge drinker and she throws up everyday due to eating the wrong things or eating too quickly. Anyway, now that I've done my own research, I can see where she went wrong. I get banded next week and I'm excited. I know it's just a tool , but I'm ready to lose weight once and for all.

its so sad that both your friends are like this. However, your story is entirely different and its up to you whether you are going to make this a success. I havent looked to anyone else for confirmation, i just look for support and info when i have problems on this forum. dont let them put you off. If you are of the right attitude and are determined to lose the weight then it should all come together for you well. i hope that you have great success with it all. Who knows?? you could be the one who shows the others what the band can do when we co operate with it fully. way to go.

I agree with all the previous posters...you definitely have to be in the right frame of mind prior to surgery. You have to be ready to change your entire life and you need to be honest with yourself. Banding has been one of the best things I have ever done BUT I considered getting it for years, himmed and hawed about it, made appointments then backed out because I wasn't mentally there yet. I'm glad I waited to a degree because I was absolutely ready, mentally and physically. I knew people who had the surgery and failed for various reasons but I knew I was different and I would be damned if I was going to have surgery and fail...and I haven't. I have had a few episodes of vomiting/regurgitating BUT I could link it always to either what I ate, how I ate or reactive swelling after a fill. GL with whatever you decide but don't let other people make up your mind for you, do the research and make whatever decision is best for you. Best of luck!!

Hi. I wish I had done this surgery years ago. Specifically before I had a stroke at 39! As mentioned previously you can cheat the band. Consider the pouch created by the band a funnel. Anything that would pass throuh a funnel will go right through. Sooooo liquid calories are your enemy (after healing from surgery that is). drinks with calories: milkshakes, coffee with cream and sugar, sweet tea need to go. Anything that disolves in your mouth: candy, cake, crackers, chips is called a slider and again will pass right through the pouch and will never make you feel full.

Are you friends eating slidder foods?

If I said "I had chicken breast for lunch" Does that mean baked chicken no skin or Original recipe from KFC? Are your friends choosing healthy calories or unhealthy calories. I'm not a saint my life isn't just twigs and roots. I do however try to live by the 95/5% rule. Eat healthy 95% of the time and 5% of the time you can attend birthday parties.

If your doctor does not require sessions with a psychologist who specializes in eating disorders find one. I got so much out of those meetings. Helped me recognize foods that triggered me to eat more. I don't keep crunch complex carbs in my house because I can't be trusted with them (crackers, chips). This will be a will power diet until you get restriction. I wish more doctors were up front about that. And after restriction you still have to make healthy food choices. You need to develop a new relationship with food.

Yesterday I was a Target and it was starting to be dinner time. Four years ago I would have gone to their food section and bought some candy based snack and eaten half the bag. Instead I bought a Vitamin Water Zero and drove home to eat a healthy dinner.

Honk, LOL, I would go to target to pick up some veggies and stop off at the taco bell(inside the store) and eat 2 tacos before going home to make dinner.

tmf

Well Heather here is my take on this.

You must do what you need to do, not what your family agrees with. To be honest I never told my friends and my wife was not real crazy about it either. This is a solo adventure. Others will say that you need support and psycologists. I personally disagree.

Support is a very good added bonus by not the be all and end all of this journey.

The psycologist part is something I personally do not feel is all that value added. You can lie to them to get the answer you want so not a real fool proof way to get good results. My surgeon also feels this way.

The best advice i can give you is follow your heart. Know where you are in your mind today and where you want to be tomorrow.

Remember this is no weight watchers. It is real surgery with the possibilty of tremendous gains or failures. These will depend soley on you. It is not a plug and play devise. You must work for it

I do not tell most people because i do not want to hear all the negativity that is likely to come. Our society feels you must be weak to go this far for weight loss.

Fo me it has worked well so far. I also made sure it was my last resort not my first.

Good luck which ever way you go.

Im almost 4 wks post op and I just still be having pain around my incision that's it on a scale of 1-10 it's about a 6 Walking sure do help the pain I be having that's it we'll I do get shoulder a little bit!!